Cupcakes: The Resurrection
by ChocolateZombie
Summary: Another Cupcakes spinoff. Twilight discovers Rainbow Dash's body in the basement of Sugarcube Corner shortly after her 'party', where she's forced into a confrontation with Pinkie Pie. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash's soul is offered a second chance at life...
1. Gruesome Discovery

**Hey everyone, this is my first venture over to MLP fanfiction, coming from my mostly Jak and Daxter centered works. This is MY spinoff of the infamous 'cupcakes' fanfic; now, I have not read it, and do not plan to, but I know enough to know how it goes and so feel free to correct me if you've read it already. Now, then, on with the grimdarkness!**

Cupcakes: The Resurrection  
><span>Chapter 1: Gruesome Discovery<span>

"Hello," Twilight Sparkle called as she knocked on the door to Sugarcube Corner late one unusually quiet night. "Pinkie? It's Twilight! I just wanted to come and check on you; the girls have been really worried about you lately!"

Now, on any normal day, Twilight wouldn't have even knocked, seeing as how Sugarcube would've been open for business (and busy, considering today was a Friday), and Pinkie Pie would've been her cheery, bubbly happy self in the kitchen singing a little tune to herself. However, this wasn't a usual day; in fact, the past month had been more than unusual to the citizens of ponyville.

No pony could really figure out why, but since about a month ago, Pinkie Pie had been acting rather...odd, even for her. She'd pretty much locked herself inside the building, only showing her face to get the mail, get supplies, or occasionally visit her friends; which only happened about twice. The building itself seemed to have a large change in atmosphere around it, everypony getting nervous shudders whenever they walked by it. And about a week prior, the shop had actually been closed because the Cakes were supposedly going on 'Vacation'; which was strange since Pinkie had been left in charge of the place several times when they went away.

The other thing that made the month seem unusual was the extreme number of 'disappearances' that had been happening as of late. Several well-known ponies, including Heartstrings, Carrot Top, Berry Punch, Caramel, and Golden Harvest have all gone missing in the course of a few weeks, and have not re-appeared since. To make matters even worse, just this afternoon, another pony had disappeared; and this time it was a VERY well-known pony, that being none other than the element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash. At first, everypony thought it was just another one of her pranks, but after almost 8 hours had passed and she hadn't shown back up, things turned serious and a whole ponyville-wide search was initiated for her. The princesses had even dispatched several guards for a search party, sending them to Everfree, and even several cites around Ponyville, including Manehatten, Canterlot, and even Fillydelphia, but she was never found. After around ten at night, Everypony decided it was best to get some sleep and try again in the morning.

However, Twilight, being the night owl that she was, had stayed up even longer to try and figure out what would have cause such a thing to happen; in fact, since things had been becoming abnormal, she had been working her behind off trying to come up with a logical explanation for everything. It was now past midnight, and Twilight had decided to try and go check on Pinkie Pie; she hadn't seen the party pony at all during the search party, and also the girls, as well as the whole town, had been very worried about her.

"Pinkie," Twilight called again after getting no response from inside. "She must be asleep; I guess I'll come check on her tomorrow..."

Twilight's train of thought was cut off when she briefly took in a very strange sent that seemed to be coming from inside Sugarcube Corner; something she'd never smelled before when she was there. It was slightly pungent, and almost smelled like...rotting garbage?

"There's not dumpster around here," Twilight mused. "And I doubt the cakes would throw out something that stinky anyway...hmm."

Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Twilight attempted to turn the knob to the front doors of the building, getting no success after finding out the door was locked. Twilight sighed, but continued circling the building, eventually finding the back door to the building. Twilight twisted the knob, again finding a locked door. Twilight was getting frustrated now, and didn't want to have to resort to breaking open a window to get inside. However, a thought soon dawned on her:

"Wait...silly me, I know magic!" Twilight smacked herself lightly in the back of her head, trotting back around to the front door and using her magic to unlock the door, trotting inside and closing and re-locking it behind her; quietly of course as not to wake Pinkie Pie. Twilight let her horn glow enough to see around the building; it looked so abandoned compared to what it was like normally. Twilight sniffed the air again, realizing that the smell was now stronger; and it was starting to smell less like food waste and more like...

"Pony waste," Twilight asked herself quietly, becoming both nervous and intrigued at the same time (hey, this is Twilight, remember). Twilight immediately trotted softly up the stairs to Pinkie's bedroom, placing an ear up to her door and not hearing a thing. The smell had weakened slightly, but Twilight was still concerned. She tried the knob and found the door unlocked, sliding it open slowly to see the pink pony asleep in her bed, just like she suspected. Though her mane had drooped down and was laying flat across her head, Pinkie still looked like she was having a good dream, so Twilight smiled and closed the door softly, locking in behind her.

"_Well, at least Pinkie's OK,"_ Twilight thought. "_But that smell...it's still around."_Twilight walked back down into the main room, the smell's strength returning. Twilight, curiousness be damned, followed the scent diligently, until she was led to a door that she was familiar with; the basement door.

"The basement," Twilight said softly. Twilight used her magic to open the door slowly, and once she did, she felt the strength of the smell multiply at least two-fold. "Yep, this is it," Twilight said, covering her nose to try to block the scent out as she slowly descended the steps to the basement, the scent growing stronger with each step.

"_I think I've read about this in a horror novel once_," Twilight mused again. "_Somepony was the owner of a butcher shop, but it was really a cover as he was really a murderer! And he kept all his victims' bodies in the freezer of his shop! But that's just silly, nopony in ponyville would ever do such an evil, despicable, horrible thing to other ponies! Why just the thought of it is so ludicrous, I mean, come on! What are the chances that the Cakes are really murderers and they use their basement to stash the dead bodies? I'm sure it's just some meat that's gone bad and they've just forgotten about it._"

Twilight had soon reached the door at the end of the stairwell leading into the actual basement. Eyes closed, the unicorn pushed open the door quietly, letting the full strength of the scent hit her nostrils, causing her gag slightly. Unfortunately, the gag reflex also caused her to open her eyes slightly, and what she saw, well, was almost exactly the thing she was trying to convince her self not to see.

Gasping, the unicorn looked on in horror as she took in the basement; entrails of ponies were hung from the ceiling like party streamers, a large banner with the words "life is a party" written in what Twilight could describe as either red paint or blood hung from the back wall. Tables full of bloody medical instruments adorned it as well, along with cabinets that had what appeared to be skulls lining the shelves, a large dining table in the center with a single chair tucked underneath it, and the centerpiece of the room, a dress that appeared to be made of cutie-marked pelts, no doubt belonging to the disappeared ponies. Twilight also noticed pegusus wings sewed onto the dress as well, and some unicorn horns had been made into a necklace of some kind. Not to mention the entire room had coats and speckles of blood splattered around it.

"OH CELESTIA," Twilight screamed quietly, and did the only thing her body could do in this situation; find the nearest bucket and throw up into it, which is exactly what she did. It didn't help that this bucket was full of more blood and things, which caused her to vomit even more. Once she recovered, Twilight continued to stare on in shock at the defiled basement.

"_This...this is impossible_," she thought. "_The Cakes were always so sweet and innocent...they never once looked like they were hiding something! Maybe...maybe it's true; maybe they really are killers! But then why would they leave like they did a week ago? Maybe they were close to getting caught and they had to flee?" _

Twilight shook these thoughts from her head, though, saying: "Get a hold of yourself, Twi; there's gotta be another explanation for this. Maybe...maybe they had an employee that was really the killer! We only saw Pinkie Pie, but maybe they had someone who only worked at night, or only worked on call that used the basement as a cover! That could explain why the Cakes left; they knew what was going on and got away with their lives while they could! And that could also explain why Pinkie Pie's been acting weird; she must know what's going on and is being forced to say inside because she might tell the truth! I should go talk to her..."

Twilight had gone and turned to run back upstairs to Pinkie's room, but she soon spotted something in the back corner of the basement that made her freeze in her tracks. From her point, she could make out what looked to be the silhouette of a pony lying on an angled table of some sort. Twilight froze stiff, thinking this was the pony responsible for all this. After staying still for about a minute, the pony didn't move a muscle, leaving Twilight to try and approach the pony.

"Hello," Twilight asked as she approached the table with her light, hoping that whoever was lying on the table was alive and knew what was happening. However, that hope was smashed to bits when she finally reached the table, finding out that the pony lying on it was really the dead, dissected corpse of a pony, which was strapped to the table at its legs and head. Twilight had to suppress a sudden urge to both scream and vomit at the same time, and compromising by expelling the contents of her stomach for the second time that night on the floor.

Once she recovered again, Twilight actually looked fully at the body, and upon further inspection, made yet another gruesome revelation; she knew this pony. In fact, she easily recognized the cyan coat and rainbow-colored mane of the dead pony. "No...Rainbow Dash," Twilight stuttered, beginning to break into tears. Twilight sobbed contently for a few moments, grieving in the loss of her friend. Twilight wanted to believe Rainbow Dash was too smart to be fooled into being murdered, but she knew if the Pegasus had become a victim, than whoever was doing this was really good at it.

"I think I need to get outta here now," Twilight finally said after recovering again, racing her way to the steps. Suddenly, she froze when she heard a familiar voice: "That's funny, I don't remember leaving the door to the basement open."

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight said quietly as she heard footsteps begin down the stairs. All of the unicorn's muscles refused to move as she heard to footsteps stop suddenly.

"Twilight!" Pinkie said in surprise, Twilight turning to see a still somewhat asleep Pinkie, her mane still drooped, staring at her with a questioning look.

"Pinkie, good, you're OK," Twilight said, trotting over to her.

"Well, of course I am, silly filly, what ever gave you the idea I wasn't alright," Pinkie asked, Twilight raising an eyebrow. "But what are you doing in here? How did you get in?"

"Well, I, um..." Twilight stuttered, Pinkie staring at her suspiciously. "OK. See, The girls have been really worried about you since you stopped being, well, you, and I thought I'd come and check on you! Rainbow Dash disappeared earlier today, and so we all went on a massive hunt for her but couldn't find her. Then, I thought I'd come here to see you afterwards, but the door was locked. I was determined so I kinda used my magic to unlock the door, and saw you asleep earlier. I decided to leave you alone after I saw you were just fine."

"Yep, I'm fine, but thanks for checkin' up on me, then,..." Pinkie Pie said with a smile, something Twilight hadn't seen the pony do for a long time. Though, there was something...off about the smile.

"Well, thank you," Twilight said, dismissing the thought for now. "But, I kinda wanted to talk to you about, well, all this," she continued, alluding to the basement. "I was gonna leave after I left your bedroom, but then I noticed this...smell that's all around the place, and I tracked it to the basement, and found, well, this. And, well, I...I found Rainbow Dash...she's over there. Dead and hacked up like a science experiment. But..it's OK...I know why you haven't been out at all. You found out about what's been going on down here and the pony responsible is forcing you inside so you don't tell the truth! But, you don't have to worry anymore, Pinkie! Me, the other girls, and the Princesses are all here for you, and we'll catch the scumpony responsible for this and give him his, or her, justice!"

Twilight felt so confident that Pinkie would come around after the speech. However, when she looked up and the party pony, all she saw was a large smirk on the pony's face; almost like she was trying not to laugh. Unfortunately, Pinkie couldn't hold it in, and collapsed to the ground in a fit of laughter; looking like textbook Pinkie Pie for a moment.

"Oh, Twilight, you always crack me up with your imagination," Pinkie said, giggling more. Something was wrong. Twilight couldn't sense any...happiness in Pinkie's laugh. It sounded almost...dry, and, dare she say, crazed.

"Pinkie...what...what are you talking about," Twilight asked, dumbfounded. "I'm being serious here! This monster of a pony could be anywhere right now looking for his next victim! This is nothing to be laughing about!"

"Oh, hee, I'm sorry, Twi," Pinkie said while calming herself down. "It's just that I'd thought you'd be smarter than that!" Twilight gave the party pony and 'what' look as she continued. "I mean, really, doesn't this whole place have, well, ME written all over it? And besides, there's no one else that works here besides me and the Cakes; although, since they 'left' a week ago, it's just been lil' old Pinkie here alone!

"P...Pinkie...you, you do know you just..._confessed_to killing more than a dozen ponies..." Twilight said. "You could go to jail for this! Or even be executed!"

"Which is why nopony will ever know about it...catch my drift," Pinkie replied, taking a butcher's knife from one of the racks and pointing it at Twilight.

"You...you need help," Twilight said as Pinkie Pie began stalking towards her. "I...I have to get you help...you're obviously not in a clear state of mind...If you'll just, let me send a letter to the princess explaining the situation, I'm sure we can come to an understanding and..."

"Sorry Twi, but I can't let you do that," Pinkie replied menacingly. "My parties are supposed to be a surprise! Now, what kind of a pony would you be if you spoiled the surprise? You know how I feel about party poopers, so I don't think I can let you out of here after what you've seen."

"Pinkie please, don't do this! I won't tell! I Pinkie Promise! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye...remember?"

"Sorry, Twilight, but I know how smart you are; you'll just say that to get me to let you go, then you'll just go and break your Pinkie Promise once you think you're safe. I'm smarter than I look, you know! Looks like you won't be leaving Sugarcube...**ALIVE**."

Twilight's fur stood on end as Pinkie said that last word, the pink pony now leaping towards her with the knife drawn. Twilight reacted as fast as she could and used a teleport spell to zap herself out of the way just in the nick of time and to the other side of the basement. Pinkie growled and galloped towards her again, Twilight managing to levitate a steel cart in front of her as a makeshift shield, Pinkie's knife clanging against it as Twilight used the distraction to buck Pinkie onto the ground and make a mad dash for the stairs.

Pinkie was quick to recover, though, leaping through the air almost unnaturally (well, it's still Pinkie Pie) and was in position to drive the knife right down into Twilight's back. The Unicorn, however, managed to block her again, but could barely dodge a counter-swipe from the earth pony and her cheek got slightly grazed by the knife's tip. Twilight then attempted to buck pinkie again, but the pink pony blocked successfully, grabbing Twilight's hind legs and pulling her away from the stairs, throwing her against a far wall. The initial collision dazed Twilight, but she recovered again just in time to avoid Pinkie jamming the knife into her throat, the knife instead becoming lodged into the wall.

Twilight then, doing something she'd never done before: threw a hoof at Pinkie's face, landing a successful punch which dazed her 'friend' enough so that Twilight could attempt to run again. Pinkie let out another growl and grabbed several scalpels laying on another tray and threw them like ninja stars towards Twilight. The unicorn looked behind her just in time to see the blades flying at her, dodging what she could and being grateful that Pinkie's aim was off when the edges of the blades only nicked her legs, flank, and parts of her mane and tail. Pinkie had then been able to pull the knife out of the wall and threw it at Twilight, who used a levitation spell to fling the knife off to the side and away from her.

"So, that's how you wanna play," Pinkie said menacingly. "Okie doke lokie, then, I guess we'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way!" The pink pony then leaped at Twilight again, this time tackling Twilight to the ground, pinning her to the floor and proceeding to throw her hooves at Twilight. The unicorn managed to block several shots and retaliated with punches of her own, and soon the two had engaged into a hoof-fight that lasted several minutes.

By the time they'd ran out of breath, Twilight had taken the worst of it, with several bruises and cuts from Pinkie's hooves, as well as a swollen cheek and several other injuries. Pinkie was exhausted as well, but she had merely burned out her energy from battering Twilight with punches and kicks, only taking a fraction of that number as retaliation from the unicorn.

Twilight used the break in the action to search through her known spells to try and find a way to escape, settling on a simple spell that Celestia, of all ponies, would use on her when she was up to late studying in Canterlot. Lifting herself off her hooves, Twilight was able to stagger over to Pinkie, and with her horn aglow let her lavender magic envelop her earth pony friend. Pinkie yawned slightly as her eyelids began to droop heavily, feeling the effects of Twilight's sleep spell weighing down on her.

"...I'll get you..." Pinkie said lazily, before finally dozing off to sleep.

"Shh...just rest now," Twilight muttered as Pinkie soon started to snore comically, which made Twilight smile slightly, seeing that this was the Pinkie she'd always known. Twilight levitating Pinkie's body up from the ground and over to the stairs. "She'll be out for quite a while; enough time for me to get the hay outta here and get some help," Twilight said to herself as she took Pinkie up the basement stairs and to her bed, tucking her in. As soon as the earth pony was settled into bed, Twilight immediately hoofed it away from the building and back to the library.

Unbeknownst to Pinkie and Twilight, a strange red-orange portal had opened up in the basement, underneath the corpse of Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, seemingly-disembodied hooves began rising from the portal, grabbing Rainbow dash's legs and attempting to pull her down into the portal. With a tug, the hooves suddenly pry the Pegasus from her own body, slowly pulling the unconscious ghost of rainbow dash down into the portal and leaving her body on the table, the portal closing soon after.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After returning to the library, Twilight immediately did two things: first, she made a magical aura around the library so that nopony besides her or Spike could get in, and secondly, she used her magic to write her own letter to Princess Celestia detailing her experience for the night.

_"Dear Princess Celestia;_

_I apologize for sending you this letter at such a late hour, but I have something very urgent to tell you; it has to do with the disappearances as of late. Well, I know what happened, and while you may not believe me at first, I hope that you trust me enough to not write this out."_

Twilight then went on to explain everything; the smell, the discovery, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash.

"_As I stated above, I hope that you'll believe me and not just think I was having a bad dream. I don't know what caused Pinkie to do these horrible things, but I do not believe she did them under her own power. I realize that should she be held fully accountable, the consequences will be severe, but I will try my hardest to try and prove that she wasn't in control of herself, so that we can get her some good help. Please respond ASAP._

Your ever-faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle."

Once finished, Twilight rolled the scroll up and gently tip-toed up to her room, where Spike lay asleep, and had been for about the last three hours, dreaming of things Spike would normally dream of (gems and Rarity). Twilight slowly nudged the dragon awake, who grumbled something as he rolled over away from her.

"Spike...wake up...I need you to send this letter I wrote to the princess real quick, OK?"

"Can't it wait till tomorrow," Spike muttered.

"No, it's kind of important," Twilight replied. Spike grumbled some more before taking the letter and, without even bothering to read it, sent it away to the princess. Moments later, a response came, Spike just handing over the letter and going back to bed. "Thanks," She whispered and proceeded to unravel the letter.

_"Dearest Twilight:_

I am going to ignore the fact that you broke into some pony's home without permission because the information you have given me is far more important.

At first, I didn't believe it either; I had to read your letter a few extra times because of that. Pinke had never been the type of pony who would harm any pony. But now that I've read through this, the coincidences are anything but.

However, you must realize that these accusations you bring against Pinkie Pie are very troubling, and should she be found guilty, the punishment for these crimes is very severe. In fact, even at best, Pinkie could still spend the rest of her life in prison; at worst...execution. However, I do believe you when you say that she was not in control of herself, and I do believe there is a third party at work here. I will do as much research as I can here in Canterlot and will report to you everything I find. I will also send an investigation team headed by my sister into Ponyville first thing tomorrow morning.

_As for Rainbow Dash...I extend my sympathies to you and your friends and everyone who knew her. This is truly a sad loss for all of Equestria. I will inform her parents and family of her passing tomorrow as well._

Now, get some rest; after everything you've encountered this night, you certainly need it.

Signed, Princess Celestia.

P.S.: You should inform your friends of this as soon as possible. It's tough to take, but I know you can all pull through together."

"Thank you, Princess," Twilight said with a sigh of relief; Celestia did believe her. The thought of having to tell the others, though, make the relief short-lived. She knew they wouldn't take it well; especially Fluttershy, as delicate as she was. For now, though, she decided not to dwell on it and instead heeded the Princess's words, tucking the letter away in her drawer and settling down on her bed, drifting off to sleep.

**Next time: The others learn of Rainbow's death and Pinkie's insanity, and we learn what exactly ****happened to Rainbow's ghost.**

**Also, I'll mention that the title for the chapter comes from a MTG card of the same name:**

**Gruesome Discovery**

**2BB**

**Target player discards two cards.**

_**Morbid**_**: If a creature died this turn, instead that player reveals his or her hand. You choose two cards from it. That player discards those cards.**

**Seems a little fitting, honestly. But, enough of that. Review time!**


	2. Breaking the News

**Chapter two online!**

Chapter 2: Breaking the News

"Oh Celestia, that was terrible," Rainbow Dash groaned as she slowly awoke from what she believed to be a bad nightmare. "I can't believe Pinkie would do something like that to me; let alone to anypony. Well, at least it was just a dream, and...wait, where the hay am I," she asked herself as she took in her sudden change of scenery.

The soil she laid on was charcoal in color, and the sky she gazed at was a mixture of deep red, orange, and dark purple with some ambient yellows and several gray-looking clouds that looked almost unnatural. She seemed to be in a cave of some sort, or at least in some sort of path that lead either through a series of mountains or through some cliffs.

"Well, wherever I am, at least I can still fly outta here..." Rainbow began as she leaped to her hooves, attempting to fly up through the small opening above her. However, there was one problem: she couldn't feel her wings. The Pegasus glanced backwards to find something she'd hoped she wouldn't see; her wings were gone, a pair of simple little stubs where the skin and fur of her coat had re-grown replacing them.

"No..." she gasped, her eyes welling up slightly. She closed her eyes, bringing a hoof to her flank; she felt fur and flesh there, so peered back in hope that she had at least survived Pinkie's slaughtering somehow; but that's when she saw that although her cutie mark was back in it's normal place, it appeared as though it had been expertly 'sewed' back onto her flank. Rainbow gasped, tears starting to run down her face slowly. She then regretfully looked down at her chest, and saw the thing that confirmed her fears; stitches held a 'Y' shaped cut that took up her entire front together, running from the bottom of her stomach and splitting around the middle of her chest, as well as several other cuts and deep gashes on her body that were either stitched up or had healed on their own.

"Maybe...maybe I'm still dreaming..." Rainbow Dash muttered, still trying to hold onto any hope she had that she might still be alive somehow.

"I'm afraid that's not the case, ma'am," a voice said a from behind her. The Pegasus pony turned to see a group of four dark ponies clad in armor she'd never seen before walking towards her. "Are you Rainbow Dash?"

"How...how do you know my name? Who are you...what's going on, where am I?"

"I am Captain Gravehoof, commander of the Marebus Royal Legion. You are in the outskirts of Marebus; which is the Equestrian Underworld. In layman's terms: you're dead. Physically. But, your soul has now entered this realm, just like every other mortal soul does. So as I stated earlier, this is not a dream."

Rainbow hung her head in defeat. "So, it did happen."

"Yes, and what you're...friend did was not exactly the way anypony would want to die, either. I know I wouldn't."

"How do you..."

"We receive the reports of every death in Equestria; the whats, who's, whys, whens, and hows. We also receive a file on the departed, that has their name, how they died, and what they're life was like. I believe that answers your other questions."

"So...why come find me if you already know everything?"

"Normally, you'd just be left to wander Marebus on your own. However, our...overseer has taken an interest in you in particular and wishes to have an audience with you."

"Overseer...as in, like, a princess," Rainbow asked.

"More like Prince, but yes, in a sense. Just don't call him prince; he doesn't like that. That's not even his official title, anyway."

"Why me?"

"He didn't say; I guess he found something he liked in your file. Regardless, we have orders to escort you to the capital immediately. I understand this is a lot to take in, so we will leave whenever you're ready."

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily as she took a seat on the ground, collecting herself. "_Well, I'm not gonna be doing anything else," _She thought after a few moments, standing back up and saying: "OK, let's go."

"Follow us," Gravehoof ordered as the guards turned and began walking the path, Rainbow Dash following closely behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Twilight huffed drowsily as her alarm woke her up at 8am sharp, just like she normally would. However, her severely messed up mane and tail, tear stains, and the dark circles under her eyes indicated she'd not slept a wink last night.

Every time she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, all Twilight could see and dream about was Sugarcube, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash. She'd dreamed several times that she never made it out, Pinkie able to pin her to the ground and strike with that butcher's knife for a fatal blow, waking up panting and in a sweat just before she was struck. The panting soon turned to silent sobbing until she closed her eyes again and the cycle repeated itself.

Fortunately, Twilight was able to finally get to sleep, albeit for only an hour. Regardless, being the strict schedule-keeper she was, she reluctantly got out of bed and lazily trotted to her bathroom, fixing her main as best she could and cleaning her face of the tear stains. After a quick coffee break, Twilight pulled out her planner and checked her chores for the day. As she looked down her schedule, however, she remembered what the princess had said to her in her response letter last night:

"_P.S.: You should inform your friends of this as soon as possible. It's tough to take, but I know you can all pull through together."  
><em>_  
><em>"The girls..." Twilight said quietly. She still didn't know how to tell them; especially since she knew how they'd take it. Applejack would probably think she was lying, Rarity would probably faint, and Fluttershy would probably break down in tears and almost certainly be inconsolable for a long while. "Oh, but I can't hide it from them forever; AJ would see right through it. Well, I have a break in the morning before I have to do some organizing around here; I'll go gather them up and bring them over and tell them then. Till then, I should just try and act like it's a normal day."

Twilight trotted over to the door to the library and unlocked it, glancing out the window to see something she didn't expect; a small crowd had gathered outside of Sugarcube Corner as several royal Canterlot guards were standing guard at every entrance to the building.

"Celestia did say she was sending a team to investigate first thing in the morning," Twilight mused. She then noticed something else; Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy were gathered in the crowd as well. "Well, that just made my job easier," Twilight said as she heard a yawn from behind her.

"Mornin', Twi," Spike said sleepily, but then suddenly jolting awake after seeing the shape Twilight was in. "Whoa, you OK? You look like you barely got any sleep last night!"

"It's nothing, Spike, I was just...doing some late-night reading," Twilight lied. "Got a little caught up in the material like always, didn't go to bed until late!"

"Hmph, figures," Spike said, not noticing the lie but noticing the group outside. "Hey, what's going on out there?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight lied again. "I hope Pinkie's alright..."

"You should go over there and check on her," Spike said.

"Uh...I don't know Spike, it looks pretty bad over there."

"If something did happen to her, she needs all the support from her friends she can get. Don't worry, I'll look over the library while you're gone."

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said, grabbing her saddlebag and planner, hoofing it out the door and towards the crowd. "Phew...that was close. I don't think Spike needs to know just yet; he's just a baby dragon, after all," she said quietly after she was far enough away from the library. Twilight glanced forward as she slowly walked towards Sugarcube, the memories once again flooding her mind with each step she took.

"Twilight," Applejack asked as Twilight approached the girls with a dazed look in her eye. The unicorn shook her head and replied: "Oh, hey, girls."

"You look terrible dear, is everything OK," Rarity asked.

"Oh, just some late night studying is all," Twilight lied. "Anyway, what's going on around here? I went to unlock the library and saw the crowd."

"I wish I knew," AJ replied. "Guards won't tell anypony a darned thing; just keep tellin' us ta move along. Got here around seven this mornin' ta set up the stand for the day and they'd swarmed the place."

"I was in town to get some more food for my animal friends and saw it too," Fluttershy said quietly

"I woke up early to finish a commission and noticed it as well," Rarity added. "I just hope Pinkie Pie is OK..."

"Ah, I'm sure she's...fine," Applejack said with some hesitation but then sighed. "Oh, hay, I don't even know what I'm talkin' about now. Of course it's gotta do with Pinkie, what else could be going on in there?"

"Uh, yeah, about that," Twilight began, but was interrupted when the croud suddenly grew silent, the girls looking to see that the door to Sugarcube had been opened and Princess Luna walked out, an emotionless expression on her face. The crowd bowed respectively as Luna approached a mic stand set up just outside the door.

"Citizens of Ponyville," She said softly. "We...appreciate thine concerns and inquiries regarding Sugarcube Corner, but unfortunately, We are not at liberty to discuss the details with thee at the present time. We ask that thou continue about thine day as normal and We will inform thee of everything when the time is right."

The crowd groaned slightly and began dispersing, Twilight hesitating as the girls went off on their

"Well, it's now or never," Twilight said. "Uh, girls, hold up a sec...there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it, dear," Rairity asked, Twilight hesitating slightly.

"What's wrong, Twi," Applejack asked. "You didn't do nothin' bad, did ya?"

"No, well, not bad, but..."

"Elements of Harmony," Luna suddenly said through the microphone. The girls turned to see the Princess looking at them sternly. "We request thine presence inside Sugarcube Corner immediately. Present thyself to us as soon as possible. That will be all."

"Oh dear, it must be Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said, rushing towards the building. Twilight gulped audibly, Rarity and Applejack looking at her strangely.

"We'll talk later," Twilight said, her and the other two girls following Fluttershy to Sugarcube Corner. Once Twilight got to the door, Luna put a hoof on her shoulder, signaling her to stop and pulling her aside.

"My sister informed me of the situation last night; at first, I couldn't believe that these atrocities had happened under my watch, and that they were committed by an Element of Harmony! But, once I got here this morning, there was no denying it."

"Thank you for believing me, Princess," Twilight said. There was a slight pause before Luna whispered: "I noticed your hesitation over there; you haven't told them?" 

"I...I don't know if I can. I'm afraid of how they'll take it."

"They have to know eventually. If you can't tell them, I will show them. We've left the...crime scene relatively in-tact, with the exception of getting rid of the smell and...body."

"I'll try and tell them," Twilight said. "It's just better if they hear it verbally then see it physically." Luna nodded as the two headed inside. Twilight's mind once again began conjuring images and flashbacks to that night of horror as she walked through the entry hall. Guards were everywhere doing searches, hoof-print dusting, collecting various pieces of evidence, and cleaning up any damage or...stains...they could see.

"Now then," Luna said once they were all gathered inside. "I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on here. I called you in here to tell you such a thing. Or rather, have Twilight tell you."

"Twilight," Applejack said sternly. "What the hay's goin' on? What'd ya do?"

"I...I didn't do anything wrong," Twilight said.

"Well, you obviously know what's been happening here, so out with it already," Rarity said, being unusually blunt.

"Please, Twilight, tell us; if something happened, you need to say something," Fluttershy said quietly. "Especially if it involves Pinkie."

"Uh...well, OK, here goes. Last night, when we'd all left from the search party, I kinda stayed up late doing some thinking, and I tried going to Sugarcube to check on Pinkie since she wasn't out looking for Dash. I kinda used my magic to get in since the door was locked; she was fine, sleeping in her room. I was leaving when...I noticed this...smell that's, well, not as strong now, but you could smell it from up here; it was like, rotting meat, which is weird since the Cakes don't use any meat in their recipies. I found out it was coming from the basement, and I went down to investigate...and...I...I saw..."

Twilight felt tears running down her cheek again as she remembered every painful detail of her meeting with Pinkie and seeing Rainbow Dash's body.

"Saw what," Rarity asked. The girls then heard sobs coming from the lavender Unicorn.

"I...I'm sorry, I can't say it," Twilight sobbed.

"Twi, it's OK, come on, we can take it," AJ replied as the girls moved closer to Twilight.

"Sorry girls, but...I just, I can't..." she replied, the girls holding her close.

"It's OK, dear," Rarity said. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"I'm...afraid you'll think I'm lying," Twilight admitted.

"I could tell if ya were, and as far as I'm seein', ya ain't," AJ replied. "But...if it's really that bad, we won't press ya." 

"Luna...can you...show them...they should still know," Twilght said. The princess nodded and signaled the girls to follow her.

"I'll advise you that it's not as bad as this morning when we arrived here, but you'll still understand what happened," Luna said as she led the girls downstairs. Twilight, meanwhile, was waiting upstairs by the door, waiting to hear their reactions. When they reached the bottom of the stairs and the door to the basement, Luna breathed deeply before saying: "Brace thyselves," and opening the door.

Twilight heard the gasps that came from the girls very clearly from her vantage point, and anyone standing outside the main door to the building could've heard them as well.

"Good Celestia, that ain't right at all," AJ stated.

"Oh..oh my..." Fluttershy said, looking like Twilight when she'd first seen it. Rarity simply fainted.

"All appropriate reactions," Luna stated as the girls fanned Rarity awake, who stomached the image as best she could after recovering. "I believe you've seen enough."

"Yeah, we have," AJ replied as Luna led the girls back up the stairs and to a waiting Twilight, who gave them a 'you see' glance. "Yeah, we believe ya."

"We have one other piece of the puzzle missing; miss Pie is no longer in the building; We believe she fled so as not to be caught. We do not know where she is, as she left no clues as to where she was headed. Anypony's guess is as good as Ours right now."

"Why...why would she do this," Fluttershy asked, visibly disturbed. "She's the nicest pony in ponyville!"

"I think somepony, or something, is influencing her to do this," Twilight said. "If we can prove she wasn't in control of herself when this happened, we can get her help. If not...well, we'll most certainly be down one element."

"Wait, y'all mean they'd..." AJ asked. Twilight nodded.

"If she's found competent and guilty, then, well, execution would be a very viable possibility. If not that, most likely lifetime imprisonment."

"Then we gotta start tryin' ta figure this out," AJ replied. "And we still gotta try n' find Dash, too..."

"Uh...about that..." Twilight said, the girls looking at her strangely. "There's...something else you should see."

Luna took that as a signal, walking out of the room for a brief moment before retrieving what looked like a medical gurney with a bodybag on top of it. The girls jumped slightly at this sudden reveal, Luna wheeling the cart in front of the girls, Twilight turning around as Luna unzipped the bag, the girls gasping at the contents.

"No..." Fluttershy cried as she started to tear up at the sight of Rainbow Dash's hacked up corpse.

"Aw hay no," AJ said angrily. Rarity didn't faint this time, but instead turned away in sorrow.

"I...I'm sorry, but you would've had to know eventually," Twilight said. "I...found her like that strapped to a board last night."

"If ah get my hooves on the demented pony who made Pinkie do this, he's gonna buckin' pay," Applejack said venomously. The girls stared surprisingly at her; even the Princess was speechless.

"Come here, AJ," Fluttershy said, taking the earth pony into a comforting embrace. AJ then did something no pony thought she'd even do; she cried. Fluttershy shushed her as the others joined in on the embrace, even the princess.

Once AJ had calmed down enough, they girls dispersed, Luna breaking the silence by saying: "We have sent a messenger to Cloudsdale to inform her parents of her passing. We didn't inform them of the details, though. We are also holding a vigil later tonight in ponyville after breaking the news later this afternoon. She'd...want you all to come."

"We'll be there," Twilight said, the others nodding. "In the meantime, I believe we have some investigating to do. I'm going back to my library to find all my books about controlling another pony. The princess is doing what she can in Canterlot to find out anything too. We're gonna clear Pinkie's name no matter what it takes!"

"Ah gotta go run the stand but I'll come over and help as soon as I'm free," Applejack said. "We'll get that no good pony for sure!"

"I will join you shortly; I...need a shower," Rarity said.

"I need to go see my animals and make sure they have enough food for a few hours and then I will be right over," Fluttershy said.

"We must stay here and oversee the rest of the investigation," Luna said. "However, we wish you luck in your research."

"Thank you, Princess," Twilight replied. "OK, girls, let's get to work!"

**NEXT CHAPTER: Rainbow Dash enters the Marebus Capitol and has her meeting with its ruler! Just what has him so intrigued by her? The girls also begin their research into Pinkie's behavior, and the prayer vigil is held...with a shocking guest.**

**This next chapter will most likely be the last for a while since I've only gotten so fair in the thought process for this fic; but I will finish eventually cause I do like where I'm going with this.**


	3. A Second Chance

**OK, I kinda lied in the last chapter; there'll be at least one more after this one. For now, though, here's this one.**

Chapter 3: A Second Chance  
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"We're almost there," Gravehoof said as the group approached a large golden gate wedged between another pair of high cliffs. Rainbow blinked a few times, signaling she'd zoned out for the majority of the trip, most likely still thinking about her situation.

The walk along the path had lead the party out of the mountain chain they had been in and through a large flat valley, where Rainbow had gotten a better look at the oddly-colored sky. The realm's darkened sun shined on the valley from the sky and illuminated its dead grass and slightly-decaying trees, giving it a morbid, yet serene feel that actually made her feel...at peace. Eventually the valley became a chain of cliffs and plateaus, all leading up to the gate they currently stood at.

The Captain waved at a guard pony peering through a small window-like opening in the cliffs, and the gate was pulled open moments later. "The capitol is just through this tunnel," he instructed. The party resumed their walk, heading through the tunnel and out the other side to a high cliff-side.

"Whoa..." Rainbow said silently, staring off into the distance from the cliff. She could see the entire capitol of Marebus from where they were standing, lit by the sun. And it was HUGE. It seemed to span the entire horizon, being cut off in the distance by what looked to be some body of darkened water.

"Yes, a wonderful sight, isn't it," Gravehoof said proudly. "But, I believe we'll see it better up close." He then nodded in the direction of a large sweeping path to their right which looked like it went right down to the city. "This way."

Rainbow Dash snapped herself out of her stare and followed the party down the path.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Applejack raised an eyebrow as she approached the Library, which was surrounded by a lavender dome. As she attempted to walk up to it, she was stopped by the shield, which was apparently solid.

"Twilight," she called. The door to the Library opened as Twilight waved, letting part of the shield disappear so AJ could walk through it, returning the shield to full strength after she'd gotten to the Library door.

"Come on in, AJ," Twilight said as she trotted in, the earth pony following her. AJ noticed Rarity and Fluttershy were there as well, both had several stacks of books piled around them.

"What the hay's the barrier for?"

"I'm not taking any chances, Applejack. If Pinkie does decide to come back to town, she knows I know what happened, so she might come looking for me. I have to be prepared in case she does. And now that I've told you girls, you're at just as big a risk as I am. With the barrier up, no pony can pass through it unless I let them."

"I guess it's for the best, then. Sorry I couldn't get here sooner, Twi; looks like y'all started without me."

"I made sure to start as soon as I got back home; Rarity and Fluttershy showed up only a handful of minutes ago."

"What've we got?"

"Well, I've gotten our scenarios narrowed down to a few options," Twilight replied, going over to a whiteboard with notes and diagrams written on it. "First, Pinkie's being forcibly controlled magically from a distance; like the real killer is using her to do his deeds so that he doesn't get caught. Or, some other scheming of some sort. Celestia and I have been practicing spells like this; more or less to try to determine a range they could operate in."

"You've been practicing on Ponies," Applejack said, appalled.

"No, of course not, just on inanimate objects. The point is that both me and the Princess are having a difficult time concentrating the spell; her especially since she'd doing so from all the way in Canterlot. So our controller most likely has both a limited range and has been practicing this spell for almost certainly their whole life. I'd say the edge of Everfree is the farthest you could cast the spell from."

"So it's possible but really difficult," AJ said.

"Yeah, but I won't rule it out yet. The second option is possible blackmail or some form of forcible coercion. Like, for example, some pony put bombs all over ponyville and threatening to detonate them unless she kills these ponies for them. Or something similar."

"Sounds much more possible," AJ replied.

"It does, but the only thing is, when I confronted Pinkie, she...never showed any emotion for the things she'd done. No regret, remorse, guilt, nothing. Her face was completely blank. If she was being bribed or blackmailed, it would've showed. So I think we can rule this out," Twilight continued, erasing the column and then looking it over some more. "Well, then, lastly is...well, ghostly or...demonic...possession; speaks for itself. Some form of entity has possessed Pinkie's body and is using it as a medium to do its deeds; whether it be out of revenge, or what, I have no idea."

"Seems the most likely candidate. Would make the most sense."

"Yes, it would, and that's what I'm having the girls look into right now. If I'm right, then this is our most likely scenario, as it would explain her sudden change in behavior, and more than back up my theory that Pinkie wasn't in control of her own actions while she committed her crimes..."

Twilight was interrupted by a knock at her door. The unicorn immediately turned and ran over to the door.

"Hey, wait, I thought you said only you could let ponies through your barrier?"

"The guards and the Princesses have spells that can neutralize my magic," Twilight replied. "They're the only ones that can let themselves in."

Twilight opened the door to see a guard she'd seen from Sugarcube earlier holding what looked like a small bright-pink book in his hooves.

"This is for you, miss Sparkle," the guard said as he handed Twilight the book. "We found it some time ago, after you left. It looks to be miss Pie's diary. There's some...things in there you need to see."

"Thank you, sir," Twilight said, taking the book. She opened it and took some quick glances at the pages; specifically ones that were bookmarked by the investigators.

"As you can see, it looks to be a normal diary for the majority of the pages. Pinkie's daily thoughts, and what have you. But, you can see around a little over a month ago, her entries became...different. She started speaking of a 'realization' she'd made, that 'life is a party' and that she should celebrate it. She then talks of holding special 'parties' in celebration of this, and begins to list several ponies she would invite over for 'private parties'."

"These ponies...they're all ones who...disappeared..." Twilight said, making a realization of her own.

"Indeed," the guard said. "We've read through several pages; not something a pony with a weak stomach should need to read. She describes her...'parties'...in unfortunate detail."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you, sir, I'll do with it what I can," she said before turning to leave.

"Twilight," the guard said suddenly. "That diary is all we need to convict Pinkie of the murders. Add in your testimony as an eyewitness and she's as good as guilty. If you can't find out a reason for her sudden change of attitude, we may have no choice but to execute her for her crimes. If we can ever find her."

"I...I understand. I'm making progress with that. I'll inform the princess of anything I find that can help the investigation."

"Understood. The princesses have also requested that you all come and help set up the vigil for miss Rainbow Dash later tonight."

"We'll be there," Twilight said. "She...she would've wanted it."

The guard simply nodded and walked away, Twilight sighing deeply before walking back into the library.

"What'd the guard want," Rarity asked.

"He said Celestia and Luna want us to help prepare the vigil later. Also, he gave us this," Twilight said, putting the diary on the table. "It's Pinkie's diary; the guards found it and gave it to us to work with. I think it just gave us a breakthrough in our investigation," Twilight responded, waving a hoof to Fluttershy and Rarity. The girls walked up to Twilight as she finished writing some more notes on the whiteboard.

"Life is a party," AJ said questioningly after reading the new notes. "The hay does that mean?"

"See for yourself," Twilight said and handed the girls the diary. AJ read through the bookmarked pages and gulped slightly. "Uh...forget I asked." Rarity and Fluttershy read through as well and both grew uneasy.

"Oh dear..." Rarity said softly as Fluttershy simply hung her head.

"I think I know what direction to go in now," Twilight said as she erased the 'magical control' section off the board...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Man, this place is huge," Rainbow Dash commented once she and Gravehoof had made their way down the cliffs and through the massive cityscape of Marebus. The Captain had let the guards go at the entrance to the city gates and was now personally escorting Rainbow through the center of the city.

"Indeed. Our city, our realm, has stood for many millenniums, becoming a place where the dead can come and live out their eternal afterlives in peace. It wasn't this large to begin with, though. You will be able to tell where the original buildings were in the city when it was first constructed. But, as more fatalities in the mortal realm happened, the more we expanded the city. In fact, we're just building a new addition to the city a little ways from here. The newest buildings are, of course, on the outskirts of the capitol, but I digress."

"How do you guys manage so many ponies," Rainbow asked.

"We have a set system in place that keeps track of when a mortal passes on; I believe this was already explained to you before we left. And, in all honesty, we rarely need to actually 'manage' the city directly since our citizens are so well-behaved. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it's as if they've...forgiven whatever the cause their deaths was and they're at peace with themselves and the mortal realm. Sure the occasional 'bad soul' comes around, but those souls are quickly taught their lesson and become productive members of our society."

"Wait, what do you mean you...teach them their lesson," Rainbow asked, surprised.

"Our prison system is much stricter then your mortal system. We can literally stab a suspect in the stomach straight through during an interrogation and while they'd feel the pain of the stab, it won't kill them because they are, obviously, already dead. That would be redundant. Eventually the pain becomes too much for them and they confess, or what have you, then we let them go once we believe they've had enough."

Rainbow dash gulped slightly at the thought of having to go through their system.

"Don't worry, I doubt it'll ever happen to you," Gravehoof said as he put a hoof over Rainbow's shoulder confidently. "You look like a good pony to me." Rainbow smiled slightly as the captain retracted his hoof and continued walking, her expression relaxing somewhat as she followed the dark-furred unicorn once again.

"Where is the Palace, anyway," Rainbow asked.

"It's still a ways ahead; you can't really see it from here because the buildings in this area are so high and packed together," Gravehoof replied. "Once we get up here a bit further, though, it'll open up and you'll see it plain as day." Rainbow nodded and remained silent, just looking at the buildings around the area. It looked totally archaic, like the ancient Equestrian civilizations she'd seen in so many books; mostly in Daring Do books when the title Pegasus explored such ruins.

"You've been pretty silent the entire trip," Gravehoof said after a while.

"Yeah, I've just been...taking it all in still," Rainbow replied. "It's just...getting used to being dead, when I've still wanted to do so much with my life. And not having my wings...it's...they were so special to me. Flying was my life; I dedicated my time to being the best flier I could be, hoping that one day, I would be recognized all over Equestria for my talents. And, someday, I dreamed I'd get into the Wonderbolts because of it. But, now that will never happen. And...there's nothing I can do about it. And my friends...they're probably missing me so much right now. It's just...it's not fair..."

Rainbow was visibly upset right now, tears slowly forming around her eyes as she suddenly dropped to the ground and pounded it forcefully with her hooves. "Pinkie...it's because of her. I...I never would've known she'd do what she did. It was...there was no warning. I...I'd heard about the disappearances, and of her...seclusion, but...I didn't think it was her, I thought it was just coincidences. Then, when she called me over to have cupcakes, and...IT happened. I...I can't even talk about it, it was so gruesome, and the pain was...so excruciating, but...I knew the real Pinkie would NEVER do something that...that disgusting! Some pony was either posing as her and had her tied up somewhere, or, something was making her do it. I...AAAAUGH!"

The Unicorn stomped the ground again, this time actually crying silently. Rainbow was lucky there weren't any ponies around or else a crowd would've probably formed at her shouts. Gravehoof stood beside her silently as Rainbow got through her fit and eventually calmed down.

"Feel better," he asked expressionlessly.

"Kinda," Rainbow said. "I guess...I have to accept it now." She breathed in heavily again and signaled she was ready to go again. Gravehoof nodded and continued walking, Rainbow following closely behind.

They walked up the road a few more feet before approaching, as Gravehoof said, a large open clearing, a large fountain with a statue of what looked to be Marebus's ruler in the middle of it. Small shops and whatnot were included among the surrounding buildings, some stray carts full of merchandise were positioned around the area as well. Several ponies were standing around conversing about the day, which made Rainbow believe this was a big social spot.

"Wow, I'm surprised they didn't hear me," she said.

"They probably did but I doubt they'd care," Gravehoof replied and jerked his head slightly. Rainbow took that as him telling her to keep moving, which she did, following the general through the crowds of people as he turned right and headed right up a large flight of stairs. As they reached the top of the stairs, Rainbow then saw their destination; far ahead of them at the end of the path was a large silver gate, and ahead of the gate, perched atop a large outstretched cliff side was a charcoal-colored Palace whose sheer size rivaled that of Canterlot's. The size, coupled with the shine of the darkened sun illuminating the blackened outer walls and giving it a powerful glow, really drew attention and gave it an intimidating presence.

Gravehoof waved at another royal guard attending to the fence, who gladly opened the gate and signaled for the two to come in. "Coming," he asked Rainbow, who snapped out of her stupor and followed him up the walkway leading into the castle.

Once inside, Dash continued to be amazed as she took in the inside of the castle. Marbled tiles of charcoal, white, and gray made up the majority of the flooring, with crimson carpeting acting as a path through the castle. The walls were of the same mixture as well. The massive entryway was decorated with a line of columns adorning either side of the long rug underneath them, the carpet underneath leading forward to a massive door, several other smaller doors lining the walls on either side.

Gravehoof led the two forward to the large door and pushed it open, revealing the main foyer. A large statue of their ruler was in the middle of the foyer massive staircase stood in front of them, which was roped off and had a desk sitting off to its side with what Dash guessed was a secretary of some sort attending to it. She could see the stairs go up a ways before ending at a floor with a large door that looked somewhat important. The walkway became two more flights of stairs going left and right, becoming a catwalk that went around the foyer completely, several doors littering the path. The door that was directly behind them and on that floor was also very large, but this one looked extremely important because it had some sort of crest on it.

"That's the throne room," Gravehoof said, eying Dash's curiosity. "That's where you're going. I have duties to attend to, so I have to leave you here."

"Oh, this must be the Mare that was summoned," the secretary said once she'd glanced up from her paperwork and noticed the two standing there, unhooking the rope. "Go right ahead. His majesty has been waiting patiently for you."

"Good luck," Gravehoof said, departing. Rainbow gulped a little as she gingerly stepped up the stairs and slowly made her way around the catwalk and to the steps where the large double doors of the castle's throne room. Rainbow contemplated knocking, but the secretary said he was waiting for her.

"Well, here we go," Rainbow said, gently pushing one of the large doors open, causing a loud creak to echo throughout the foyer.

Rainbow stepped inside and was noticed firsthand that this throne room was different from the one in Canterlot. While Celestia's throne room was elegant and brightly-colored as most traditional throne rooms were, the one here in Marebus Palace was darker, more relaxed, and seemed almost like an office than a throne room. The room itself was of a more rounded design instead of a straight corridor like in Canterlot. The walls were a flat black, the floor a massive marble mural of the Marebus capitol. The ceiling was essentially a large domed window, being the primary light source during the daytime, a large chadelier extending from the very tip of the dome assumed as the way to light the room during the night time. A balcony took up the space of the back part of the rounded wall, most likely giving the spectator a view of the capitol. The final piece of the puzzle was the desk sitting in the middle of the room, a black chair turned away from the door and towards the closed balcony window, the pegusus making out some faint form of a head barely poking out from the chair.

"Um...hello, I'm...here," Rainbow said timidly as she continued to keep her eyes fixed on the chair and the infamous leader whose back was turned to her.

"...It's about time," he said in a deep, gruff, slightly raspy voice. "I trust Gravehoof kept you in good company..."

"Uh...yeah, he was pretty cool..." Rainbow responded.

"...Finest Captain I've ever had. But, this is not about him. This is about you," the pony said, some paper shuffling being heard. "I've reviewed your file; you've accomplished so much in your life in such a small time span. Three sonic rainbooms, best young flier winner, and an Element of Harmony, all achieved at such a young age."

"You know of the Elements," Rainbow asked.

"Of course. The mortal realm isn't the only place that your fame has reached. Several of my subjects hold the Elements' heroics in high regard; some even wish they were able to wield them. However, we're straying from the real topic. But before that, I believe I have forgotten my manners. I have not introduced myself yet."

The chair then suddenly squeaked, as Rainbow realized the pony behind it had now gotten out of the chair. She watched as the ruler of the land walked out from behind the chair and was breath-taken at his appearance.

His size rivaled that of Celestia's, possibly being even taller than her. His large horn and strong, large wings indicated his Alicorn status, his tail a fiery ethereal blue and his coat a deep charcoal. His cutie mark was barely visible, appearing to be a scythe from her angle. The thing that gave him his intimidating presence was that his body was mostly covered in heavy dark armor, not unlike that used by ancient Equestrians. His black helmet hid his face in the same ethereal blue as his tail and had two horns decorating the sides of it, his real horn sticking out of a spare hole and his mane of the same color as his tail as well blazing out of the back of the helmet. He wore a set of heavy black bards and armor that covered his whole body, looking almost like a soldier who had fallen in battle.

"My name is Exodius; I am the overseer of Marebus, the Equestrian Underworld. Gravehoof may have given you a small history lesson on your way here, so I will not get into too much detail. Now, onto my business. Rainbow Dash, I'm offering you something I almost never offer any average pony that passes into my realm; a chance to work for me, and, in turn...regain your mortality."

"W...W...WHAT," Rainbow asked, surprised and smiling slightly.

"Yes, you heard me right. Let me explain; if you accept my offer, you will become one of my many personal messengers. Your duties will be varying, from traveling across Marebus to deliver messages or whatever else I deem needing delivery, patrolling the castle for guard duty, watching the many gates to the capitol, or, in some cases, going to the mortal realm to retrieve souls that have escaped my domain."

"So, like, a ghost hunter," Rainbow asked. Exodius was visibly upset by that choice of word.

"Yes..something like that. Sometimes, my subjects attempt to return to the mortal realm for unfinished business; whether it be revenge, visiting a relative through a vision, or sometimes to cause...mischief. It's actually very difficult for a soul to leave this place on their own, believe it or not. Regardless, your job would be to round them up and bring them back here. They are then...dealt with accordingly."

Rainbow shuddered at the thought.

"Gravehoof informed you of our prison system, I see," Exodius said. Dash simply nodded. "Anyways, the ability to send you to the surface world so easily would require me to...revive you, yes. My spell that I would use would not only give you life, but it would infuse a powerful magical aura into you that will allow you to freely cross between the realms. However, it is also a spell that is extremely frowned upon in your world. Your Princess would hound me for the rest of eternity if she found out. Which is why I've only ever used it once."

"You talk to Celestia?"

"No, but we are aware of the others existence. I haven't actually spoken to her directly in ages. Our...views are fairly conflicting. But I digress. Now that I mention 'dear' Celestia, though, this leads me to my final stipulation; seeing as how you're the Element of Loyalty, this will be an interesting ultimatum. By agreeing to my offer, you will also agree to inherit the laws of Marebus as your highest form of code. Essentially, my laws, to you, are supreme law, and no other laws may supersede it. If your Princess decides to give you an order that conflicts with mine, you have the right to ignore it. Your undying loyalty will belong to me and my law."

"That sounds...yeah," Rainbow said hesitantly, her joy of being able to live now conflicting with her doubt of giving up her loyalty.

"My offer stands at that. It is purely an offer, and I'm not forcing you to do this. This is your decision alone, and don't worry about offending me if you decide to decline; I have several other candidates in the running besides you. I'll give you a few days to think it over. If I don't hear from you by then, I'll assume you declined. Now, then, I believe our business is concluded. It was a pleasure meeting you, Rainbow Dash."

"Yes, sir," Rainbow Dash said, bowing respectfully and beginning to walk away, going over Exodius's offer in her mind. Suddenly, she stopped just short of the door, standing there for a moment before asking hesitantly: "Is there anything you can do about my wings? Like, give them back to me or something?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot give you back your original wings; the damage has already been done."

"Oh...OK," Rainbow replied, beginning to walk out again.

"But, I can give you new ones," Exodius said. "At least, I believe I can. I don't want to fool you into believing that; I've never tried appendage restoration on anypony before. I've read about how special flying is to you, and I don't want to break your spirits even further."

Dash sighed heavily as she continued to stand just inside the doorway and weigh her options in her head. "I...I'm sorry if I'm intruding on you right now; I know you dismissed me and all."

"Don't worry about it. I gave you a tough choice."

"Yeah, you sure did," Dash said, huffing slightly. The pegusus moved out into the catwalk and sat down for several minutes, just thinking. Finally, after careful deliberation and consideration, Dash sat up with her decision and moved towards the doors of the throne room.

"_Well, here goes," _Rainbow thought. "_I just hope I don't regret this." _

The pegusus pushed open the door, seeing Exodius sitting back in his chair. "Exodius!"

"Well, made a decision already, have you," he replied.

"Yes. I...I accept your offer."

**NEXT CHAPTER: Rainbow gets her first assignment, and (for real this time) the Vigil is held with two shocking attendees! Ah, I won't tell you who.**

**I really had to fight with this chapter, so my apologies if this seems really roughed out. The next one should be better, though.**


	4. She's Alive

**So...I lied again. No vigil scene this time, didn't wanna extend this too long. But yes, this time the next chapter WILL be the vigil scene. But first: number 4.**

Chapter 4: She's Alive

Exodius paused for a moment before nodding slowly. "Very well," he said, walking out from behind his desk. "Now hold still." Exodius's horn began to glow with that ethereal blue magic as he channeled a beam of it to Rainbow Dash, the magic surrounding her and holding her in the air.

"Um...OK," Rainbow said nervously as Exodius closed his eyes. Rainbow then suddenly noticed his tail turn from it's usual blue color to a bright, intense red-orange color, almost as if his tail was a living flame. His mane turned the same color as well, rising up slightly, as did the magical veil covering his face. With a grunted shout, a massive blast of the orange energy shot out of his horn and smacked Rainbow Dash, enveloping her and causing her sudden pain. She suddenly felt breathless, but as quick as it came, she regained her breath, and within a few moments, the magic dissipated as she was slowly levitated back down to the ground. "Ow..."

"There, it is done. You're now a living breathing mortal again, though with the ability to travel between realms. Now, then, hold still some more; I'm not done yet. Be warned, though, this may hurt." Exodius then readied another spell, this time aiming for the two wing bones in Rainbow's back. Two magical tendrils enveloped the bones, and Exodius concentrated as hard as he could, letting his magic flow into the bones. Rainbow didn't feel anything at all for a while, thinking he was bluffing.

Suddenly, though, bolts of pain shot through where her wings would've been, causing the mare to scream loudly. As Exodius continued to focus his magic, the fur on top of the wing bone suddenly began to bulge slightly, and Rainbow suddenly felt another shot of pain as the fur was stretched painfully as bones suddenly began to rise from the scars. Eventually, the bones formed the skeleton of wings, albeit causing a great deal of excruciating pain for the Pegusus, and fur began to grow all around the bones. The fur started as her usual Cyan coat, but transitioned into a jet black color witch eventually became the only color in the wings. Once the fur had covered the wings, feathers soon began to sprout along the bones and grow downward until eventually, her wings were filled with black feathers the same color as the fur. After a few more moments, Rainbow eventually began to gain feeling in these new wings, and though sore at first, was soon able to move them about like normal as Exodius finished his spell.

"There. I'd call that a success," Exodius said. "You'll most likely be sore for a while, but with time and exercise, you should be able to fly with those in no time. Now, then, you can have a few hours to yourself to explore the city and get used to the surroundings, but after then, I want you back her as soon as possible to begin your training and your first assignment. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Rainbow replied with a salute. "And...thank you. Thank you so much." Exodius simply nodded as Dash trotted out of the throne room and the palace with the biggest smile on her face she'd ever had.

Once outside, Rainbow Dash's only thought was to fly. She unfurled her new wings, flapped them a couple times, and instantly took to the skies. She soared through the city, taking in the wonderful sights but still only thinking about how happy she was to be alive again and to have wings. She soon tore into several tricks that lit up the sky around Marebus, the citizens starting to stare and pay attention. As a finishing touch, Dash demonstrated her most famous move: the sonic rainboom. Once unleashed, it seemed to catch the eye of everypony in town and soon the stomping of hooves began to sound thoughout the city.

"Oh my, I've never seen such a wonderful sight," one citizen cried out. "Such talent," another said. "The sonic rainboom was only supposed to be an old pony's tale, but now I can't believe I'm seeing it with my own eyes," a third said. Ranbow did a victory flyover as the citizens started to cheer, a smile spreading to the Pegasus's face when she saw that she still had it. She left her signature Rainbow trail as she flew away from the city and out into the wild.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Outside the outskirts of Ponyville, within the Everfree forest, an unidentifiable Earth Pony sat huddled in front of a tree, her front facing it.

"They...they think they've shut down my parties," she said darkly, twirling a bloody butcher's knife in her hoof. "But the party's only BEGINNING for them..." She then began to cry suddenly. "I...I can't believe she spoiled the surprise like that! She must not like my parties anymore..." Her voice then became sinister again. "But she'll get what's coming to her SOON...NOBODY spoils my surprises. And I'll make sure anyone who knows...doesn't live to spoil any more parties..." The pony began laughing insanely as a strange shadow loomed on the ground beside her...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey, Twi, get up," Spike said as he poked at a snoozing Twilight, who had fallen asleep after several hours of reading up on ghosts and spirits. Her muzzle was burried in the current book, "A Pony's Guide to the Afterlife", her main all scattered around the book. The unicorn mumbled something beneath the book. "Come on, we promised the Princesses we'd help set up Ranbow's vigil tonight!"

"...mrrrmfh...just a few more minutes..." Twilight replied.

"Hm...Ah ha," Spike whispered. "You did tell Celestia you'd come...you wouldn't want to be...TARDY, now, would you?"

The mentioning of the word 'tardy' suddenly made Twilight shoot up from her sleep and start running around saying 'nononononononononononononono..." repeatedly.

"Yep, that did it," the baby dragon said to himself as he stood by the door waiting for Twilight to get ready. He didn't have to wait long, as she was back downstairs in a matter of moments with several grooming items hovering in the air, the unicorn alternating between brushing her teeth, combing her mane and tail, and taking a sip of coffee. Once she'd somehow finished it all, the two were out the door and headed towards Ponyville square, where the stage was being set up by several of the Princesses' guards and servants.

"Well, there ya are," Applejack replied as she walked up to the two. "I was beginnin' to wonder if y'all would show."

"Sorry, I kinda...slept in a bit," Twilight said. "Although, I'm sure I needed it..."

"We sorta dozed off too," AJ confessed. "Woke up about an hour ago and headed down here; you were still snoozin' and we figured we shouldn't wake ya. Like ya said, you needed it."

"Well, I do feel more alert now," Twilight said, stretching her back. "Now, what do I need to do?"

"Go talk ta Celestia; she's behind the stage. I'm sure she's got something for ya," AJ said before walking off, presumably to her assignment.

"Come on Spike," Twilight beckoned to her assistant as the two made their way to where Celestia was, stopping when they saw her with her head down in front of Rainbow's casket.

"Wow, I've never seen the Princess like this. She seems so...vulnerable," Spike whispered as they waited for Celestia to finish her mourning.

"Rainbow's death has been hard on all of us," Twilight whispered back as they walked further away so as not to disturb Celestia. "I think the princesses are taking it the worst; especially Luna since this all happened on her watch, during the night. They both feel like they weren't doing enough when these disappearances first started; now look where it's gotten us. Rainbow's dead, Pinkie's gone mad, and the whole town just...won't be the same."

Spike stayed silent as they walked back to the stage, seeing Celestia raise her head just as they walked up to her. Then, Twilight saw something she thought she'd never see: tear stains on her Princess's cheek; Celestia had been crying.

"P...princess..."Twlight said softly, trotting softly over to her mentor. Celestia didn't notice her at first, but as soon as Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder, a warm smile overtook her somber expression.

"Twilight," Celestia said simply, bringing the Unicorn closer to her.

"You were..." Twilight began. Celestia simply nodded with a smile, Twilight nuzzling her Princess as a show of comfort. The two stayed together for a few moments before Twilight said: "Is there...anything you want me to do?"

"We would...like some help with picking out some photos to show for a slide show. I'd like you to pick out your favorites and we'll add them to the collection."

"Of course," Twilight said. "Um...also, if you don't mind...afterward, I'd...like to be with Rainbow...alone."

"Are...you sure," Celestia asked.

"Yes...I just...want to mourn her on my own time; I'm the one who found her, anyway."

"Very well," Celestia replied. "I'll close the area off after we're done with the photos. Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you, Princess," Twilight said with a bow, following Celestia over to a table filled with pictures of the mane six, all with Rainbow in them. Some of them were pretty funny, like one where Rainbow had crashed into Twilight's library (which happened on more than one occasion), or one where she and Pinkie had T.P.'d Lyra and Bon Bon's house. Twilight, though, decided to pick a few of the better ones she liked (throwing in a funny pic of her crashing for laughs), and excused herself to go behind the stage.

Once there, the Unicorn approached the casket that held Rainbow's body with her head hung and stood silently for several moments.

"_Rainbow...I'm so sorry...I still feel so guilty. If I had only had somepony do something sooner, you might not be lying in there right now. I just...I failed. I let you down. But I swear to you that I...no, WE, your friends, will find whoever made Pinkie do this to you and they, WILL, PAY."_

Twilight went and embraced the casket in her hooves as Spike found his way behind the stage. Twilight motioned for Spike to come over and the dragon responded, putting a hand on Twilight's shoulder as she continued holding the casket...when she felt something really strange.

"Uh...Spike, does this casket feel...light to you," Twilight asked. Spike came over and attempted to push the casket some, failing miserably but still proving Twilight's point.

"Well, it's hard for me to move in the first place, but now that ya mention it, it does," he said. Twilight raised an eyebrow and darted her eyes back and forth. "Twi, what are you doing?" The Unicorn didn't answer, but instead let her horn glow with magic, engulfing the casket and somehow was able to pop the top of it open. When she and Spike glanced inside, however, they saw something very shocking; or rather, they saw nothing shocking.

Because the casket was empty. Rainbow Dash's body was gone.

Spike had to cover Twilight's mouth to keep her from gasping to loud for the whole town to hear. He continued to hold her mouth closed when she began to chant '' again. Finally she calmed down, Spike releasing his hand and Twilight taking a gasp of air.

"I...don't understand," Twilight said. "What...who...where did..."

"Twilight," a voice the Unicorn did NOT want to hear asked. Celestia's hoofsteps could be heard coming behind the stage. Twilight quickly closed the casket with a 'thud' and spun around with the best sad face she could muster.

"Are you all finished? We need to do a final inspection before we set the casket out for tonight," The Princess asked.

"Uh..." Twilight said. "_Come on Twi, say something! You don't want to hide anything like this from Celestia, now, do you? _Wh...why would you want to do that, anyway? _Stupid!"_

"Oh, Twilight, it's standard procedure, is all," Celestia replied. "Now, come on, go see your friends; they're worried about you. I told them you were back here and they wanted to make sure you're not having any bad thoughts."

"Yes, princess," Twilight replied, walking away. "Oh, I hope she doesn't open it."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Twi," Spike said. "The princess trusts you enough to not suspect you...even though you WERE the last one to see her...although, the princess WAS in there before you..."

"Spike, don't think about it too much," Twilight said. "Let's just, go be with our friends."

Unfortunately, Twilight had a good reason to worry.

"OK, everypony," Celestia told her guards once they'd arrived backstage. "First thing's first; open the casket. We need to make sure we actually have a body since it's being sent directly to Cloudsdale after the vigil for storage until her parents arrange a proper funeral."

"O...K..." a guard said as he signaled for the other guards to open the casket. When they reached for it, however..."Princess, it appears that the casket is unlocked."

"Not possible; I never opened it while I was in here; unless...Twilight...no, she couldn't have..."

"Your Highness, the body is gone," a guard yelled. The rest of the guards gasped audibly, and Celestia hung her head. "Twilight..."

Outside, Twilight was busy trying to reassure her friends that she was doing fine.

"Are you sure, dear," Rarity asked. "I can understand if you still have feelings about the situation."

"She's right, sugarcube," Applejack added. "If something's wrong, ya don't need to hide it."

"But if you don't want to say anything, that's alright too...we won't force you..." Fluttershy added as well.

"Thanks, girls, but I'm fine," Twilight replied.

"Twilight," Celestia's voice called out, her voice more commanding than normal. "A word."

"Uh, I'll be right there, Princess," Twilight said.

"I've never heard Celestia use that tone of voice with you, or any of us for that matter. Are you sure you're OK," AJ asked.

"Yeah, and don't worry, it's probably nothing real major; the princess has been affected as well, remember? I'm sure she's just stressed is all."

The other girls nodded silently as Twilight rushed over, praying for the best. When she arrived, though, she saw Celestia standing with a flat look on her face beside the empty coffin. "Care to explain yourself, Unicorn," A guard asked.

"P...Princess, I swear, it's not what you think," Twilight said.

"Then what is it," She asked, her tone softening only slightly. "I'm not outright accusing you of tampering with criminal evidence, but if you did something to her body, you need to tell me now."

"I...I didn't do anything," Twilight replied. "OK...I was mourning like I said I would, and I gave the casket a hug, and...I felt it was really light, so I opened it with my magic, and...the body was already gone."

"A likely story," one of the guards replied. "Too convenient, if I must say so myself."

"Please, Celestia, you have to believe me, I didn't do anything," Twilight begged.

"Twilight..." Celestia whispered. "We'll...we'll talk about this later; I don't want to do anything more before tonight. I expect you to behave for the duration of the service and then afterward I want you in my private chambers back in Canterlot so we can discuss this further. Understood?"

"Yes, Princess," Twilight said, kneeling.

"Now go on back to your friends. And don't say anything to them; I don't want anyone else knowing about this."

"Princess..." Twilight said, shocked that she'd say anything like that.

"I'm...sorry, Twilight. Tell them if you must. I just...don't really care right now, to be honest. I've got so many things on my plate that I'm having such a hard time concentrating on anything. I hope I'm not being to harsh on you..."

"Not at all, Princess," Twilight said. "I understand that you're doing what you have to do."

"Thank you, Twilight," Celestia said, nuzzling her student softly before Twilight walked away and back to her friends.

"So, what's going on now," AJ asked.

"Uh..." Twilight said, looking around to make sure nopony else was watching before pulling the other three girls into a huddle and saying softly: "Rainbow's body is missing."

"What? Oh, dear, do you know what happened," Rarity asked silently.

"No; I was paying my respects when I noticed the casket felt light and when I opened it, the body was gone. It's as if there was never anything in there!"

"Well, we best find it soon, then," AJ said. "If we don't, well, as Rarity would say, a casket with no body be the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING."

"Don't worry, girls, it couldn't have gone too far; although, I think we shouldn't worry about it right now; the casket'll be closed during the ceremony anyway; cause let's face it, nopony would want to look at her in the state her body's in."

"Yeah, you're right...well, I guess first thing tomorrow we start our investigation?"

"Sounds good," Twilight replied, "For now, though, let's just get things ready for tonight; I'm sure Dash wouldn't want us to worry about her, anyway."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After her joyflight around the area, Rainbow Dash returned on time two hours afterward and underwent her training. The instructor, a dark navy earth pony and commander of the Earth pony division of the Marebus Royal Guard named Hellfire, was almost a mirror image of Gravehoof; grizzled, mostly emotionless, and generally quiet. In fact, it wasn't until Hellfire had spoken for the first time about a quarter way into their training that Rainbow Dash learned the earth pony was a mare. Her voice was softer than she'd imagined, but also had a presence that would draw even the smallest filly's attention to her.

The training itself was brief, but excruciating. In the three hours she spent with Hellfire, Dash learned about the different weapons she would be using in her position, one of which was her main weapon, a scythe with the power to pull souls right out of a pony's body. She learned how to spot souls, how to fight in close combat, and even how to free fall the proper way, She also had to do dishes, scrub bathrooms, and sweep floors; something she didn't understand but did the chores anyway cause Hellfire said it was 'all part of the training'.

After the training, Rainbow was outfitted for her new uniform; a lightly-armored black leather bodysuit, dark leather boots, a dark cape with a hood attached, and a black balaclava-like face mask that covered her entire head and face, a collar around her neck disguising her voice as she talked. Her tail was also covered up to protect her identity.

"Looks like Hellfire did her job," Exodius said as he read over the report from Rainbow's training, the Pegasus standing in his throne room once again awaiting her first assignment. "I'm impressed. But enough about this; time for your first mission." Exodius used his magic to turn the bottom of the floor into a viewing screen, a pale gray earth pony appearing on the screen. "Are you aware of who this pony is?"

"Not really; but I know the city he's in; Manehattan," Rainbow replied.

"Yes; this is the pony known as Porterhouse; a well-known and well-respected butcher from the city of Manehatten."

"Yeah, I remember being told stories of him when I was a filly; though, they always said something...changed about him after a while. Wait...this is some older footage; from like, 60 years ago!"

"You're correct on both counts. Porterhouse's behavior took a turn for the worst at some point during the peak of his life; not long after that, several ponies in town began...'disappearing'..."

"Wait...you're not talking about..."

"Yes. It was discovered later that the missing ponies had in fact been ponynapped and taken to Porterhouse's restaurant, where they were taken into the basement and strapped to a metal table. Porterhouse then mercilessly tortured them, systematically cutting off or out vital parts of their bodes before slicing them open and harvesting their...innards. He ground them up and put them into his products to sell while stashing the bodies in a freezer in the same basement. People soon heard about the crimes, and he earned the nickname..."

"The Butcher of Manehattan..."

"Yes. The Royal Guard eventually caught up to him and he was arrested and executed. Which brings me to your mission: The Butcher of Manehattan's soul has escaped Marebus."

"Oh no," Rainbow said, realizing the danger Equiestria was now in.

"You have a right to be frightened. We do not know how, as he was being kept in our facility which you've no doubt heard about, but he's in the mortal realm, and we believe he's trying to possess a pony in order to kill again. You must find him and bring him back here before any damage is done. And if damage has already been done, then keep more of it from happening."

"Uh, Exodius, sir, I...think I may know where to start..."

"I know. That's why I'll be sending you to the outskirts of Ponyville to start your investigation. And one more thing; do not reveal your identity to anyone in town. Believe me, finding out that one of their prized residents that was brutally murdered is suddenly alive and well again."

"That's what the collar around my neck is for then," Rainbow said.

"It disguises your voice. Now, enough debrief; I think it's time to go," Exodius replied, using his magic to open up a large portal inside the office, the edge of the Everfree Forest coming into view. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Rainbow said, and with a small gulp, dashed into the portal and back to the living world.

**NEXT CHAPTER: The vigil happens for real this time, I swear! Two surprise guests make appearances, and what exactly did Rainbow mean by saying she knew where to start?**


	5. The Vigil

**IT'S HERE. YES, I MEAN IT. SERIOUSLY, LOOK AT THE TITLE. JUST GO AHEAD AND READ IT. SRSLY. Guise. Srsly. Please.**

Chapter 5: The Vigil

Twilight stood behind the curtain of the stage, peeking through it at all the guests in the crowd as she and the rest of the mane six, as well as some of the night's other speakers, stood around nervously, awaiting the start of the ceremony; though Twilight was more nervous than the rest of them, something that gave her friends cause for concern.

"Nervous," AJ said, coming up from behind the unicorn, causing her to jump slightly.

"A little," Twilight said after taking a deep breath. "OK, a lot. I just...I still don't know what I should say; also, I...I'm getting the feeling that...something bad is going to happen soon. I don't know why, but it's just a gut feeling; and the last time I followed my gut, well, this happened."

"Aw, don't worry about it," AJ replied. "The princesses are here and guards are all over the place. If something happens, they can take care of it."

"You...you're right, Applejack," Twilight said with a grin. "But still, I...I just don't know what to say; obviously I can't tell them what really happened; there's little foals in the audience."

"Just do what you think Rainbow'd want ya to do. That's what we're all doing," AJ said.

"Starting in 5, everypony," Luna called from just beyond the two, walking up to Twilight and AJ. "You seem troubled, miss Sparkle. Art thou OK?"

"No, I'm fine, just nervous is all, like everypony else is."

"So are...am I," Luna said, breaking character for a moment. "These last few hours...everything's just begun sinking in for I and Celestia. Truth be told, we're both an emotional wreck on the inside. But, we have a duty to uphold, and a ceremony to hold, and these events are not going to stop us. Anyway, we have to return to our post to make the final preparations. Good luck, everypony."

"Thanks, princess," AJ said, Luna walking off as Fluttershy and Rarity joined the two soon afterward.

"Everypony ready to do this," Twilight said.

"Ready, willing, and able," Rarity said, Fluttershy and AJ nodding in agreement.

"Listen, girls, you have...no idea how much you've helped me in the last day; I can't thank you enough," Twilight said. "Now let's go make RD proud of us."

"Will do," AJ said with agreements from the other girls. As the girls left to take their positions backstage, Twilight poked her head out the curtain one last time, swearing she saw a pony duck behind some buildings off in the distance. Twilight gulped and said: "Oh, I have a bad feeling about this..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The underworld portal dumped Dash off just inside the entrance to the Everfree forest, the rainbow-maned pegusus instantly dropping to the ground and praising it, hugging and kissing it. She then stood up and, after leaping into the air, pulled her mask up just enough to expose her mouth and took a deep breath and exhaled gently soon after.

"I'm...alive," Dash said dreamily. "Man, I owe Exodius so much. He has no idea how happy I feel right now." Rainbow suddenly remembered she was on a mission, and pulled her mask down over her face."But I have a job to do now..." she paused after hearing her voice through the collar, noticing that it had distorted her voice to the point of lowering the pitch and deepening the intensity of it; carrying an intimidating presence her own voice never could, but at the same time keeping it relatively soft and majestic.

"Wow, I sound so awesome right now! OK, I'm getting off topic. So, game plan; gotta find the spirit of a serial killer and bring it back to the underworld. And, unfortunately, I know just where to start. Well, here I come, girls; if you know it was me coming, you'd be so happy to see me," Rainbow Dash said to herself, sighing at the idea of not being able to reveal herself to anyone per Exodius's orders, but paid it no mind as she took off to the skies and towards ponyville.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Once Rainbow made it into Ponyville, she noticed a large group of ponies gathered in the center of town. Floating her cloud up enough to not be detectable, she looked down to see a stage with a podium that had a picture of her on the front sitting towards the back, a casket sitting off to the side with several bushels of flowers piled up on either side of it. A small slide show was playing off to the opposite side with various pictures of Rainbow in them; some she'd found cute, and some she'd wish they hadn't picked.

"Oh yeah, they still think I'm dead," Dash said to herself. "Well, I'm sure Exodius wouldn't mind if I stuck around for...whatever this is." Rainbow laid down on the cloud, hooves crossed as she covertly watched the lights around the stage dim slightly, the Princesses walking out onto the stage. "Looks like I'm just in time," Dash whispered as she bowed out of respect for the two.

"Foals, Mares, Gentlecolts," Celestia said. "We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of Equestria's most loyal Pegasus, Rainbow Dash. We gather here not to cry and weep, but to celebrate Rainbow Dash's life, her accomplishments and her pitfalls. We celebrate her as two separate but equal ponies; As the Element of Loyalty, where she protected Equestria from two of the greatest evils this land has ever known; one of them being my own sister, and as Rainbow Dash the pony, was always there for her friends, saying that she'd 'never leave them hanging, as well as demonstrating her athletic prowess by performing the legendary Sonic Rainboom not once, but twice in one lifetime."

"Can't argue with that," Rainbow said to herself.

"At this time, before we begin, we ask for a moment of silence for the departed," Celestia said, all the ponies including Dash herself bowing their heads, some silent sobbing being heard.

"We have invited several special speakers for tonight to share their own thoughts on the deceased: those who knew Rainbow Dash personally, those who may not have known her but looked up to her, and those who she herself looked up to or idolized."

Rainbow gasped inwardly at this statement. "Ohmygosh...they can't be there, can they?"

"However, before we bring out the guests, I and my sister would like to share some opening words. First, Luna."

Celestia stepped back as Luna took to the stand. "First and foremost, We offer our deepest regrets and sympathies to those affected by this tragedy; Our ever-vigilant watch was eluded as these heinous acts were committed, and We condemn thee who was responsible and will stop at nothing to dispense justice."

Several hooves stomped the ground quietly as Luna continued. "Now then, Our words on the departed. T'was Rainbow Dash's loyalty to her friends in the face of an ultimate decision, among other trials and tribulations, that allowed the Elements of Harmony to purge from Us the jealous vengeance that had consumed Us and turned Us into what thou referred to as "Nightmare Moon," Luna added. "We...um...I am eternally thankful and wish Rainbow Dash a peaceful eternal rest."

Luna bowed her head and stepped back as Celestia returned to the stage. "On the subject of bravery, continuing from my sister's words, we also cannot forget about the spirit of chaos himself, Discord, who was freed from his stone prison after a thousand years," she continued. "Discord thought he could break up the elements by turning them against each other, corrupting Rainbow Dash's loyalty and warping it into selfish possession. But, thanks to her friends, she was able to regain her senses and be there to help the other elements stop Discord, imprisoning him in stone once again and restoring order to Equestria. For this, and several other achievements, we owe her our gratitude and our respect."

Rainbow smiled heroically inside her mask. "Yeah, that's right, you know it," she thought to herself.

"Now, we will start bringing up the guests. Our first speaker, or speakers, rather, were Rainbow Dash's biggest inspirations and idols. Please welcome, the co-captains of the Wonderbolts, Soarin' and Spitfire."

Rainbow Dash began freaking out as her idols walked out onto the stage, receiving a hoofshake from the princesses. "_Oh man, this is so cool..." _Dash thought.

"Thank you, princess," Spitfire said. "While we may not have known miss Rainbow Dash personally, we have been well aware of her, well, I guess you could say, idolization of not only us, but of the whole Wonderbolt organization."

"Her athletic talents have been displayed in our presence multiple times, most notably at the best young flier competition," Soarin' added. "I've always heard the pony tales of the sonic rainboom, but I'd never thought I'd see it with my own eyes until she unleashed it that day. Well, we didn't actually SEE it, but, you get the idea."

Rarity swore she felt both Soarin' and Spitfire glare in her direction, smirking sheepishly.

"We're also calling mulligan on the Grand Galloping Gala," Spitfire said jokingly. Some giggles were heard in the crowd as Dash tried to stifle her own chuckle. "All in all, Ranbow Dash is one of the coolest fans and ponies we've met in a while, and had she been just a few years older, she would totally have been Wonderbolt material."

"Don't remind me," Dash said, noting that she was still a few years shy of making the Wonderbolts.

"However, in this case, we can make an exception," Spitfire said, Soarin' bringing out a small blue bag with the wonderbolts logo on it. "We wanted to do something special for Rainbow, so we had this made for her," Spitfire continued, pulling something surprising out of the bag: a Wonderbolt uniform with Dash's cutie mark on the flanks, along with a pair of Wonderbolt goggles. "Even though we can't accept her into the Wonderbolts, we still wanted to recognize her. So, for tonight's ceremony, Rainbow Dash is hereby declared an honorary Junior Wonderbolt."

Sptifire set the costume on top of the casket and saluted her, Soarin' and the rest of the crowd doing the same. Rainbow herself even gave a salute, tears falling from her cheeks inside her mask. "_Wow...an honorary Wonderbolt...oh man, this is so awesome!" _"Thank you," Spitfire said, she and Soarin' walking off stage.

Rainbow watched quietly as the next few guests came up; Applejack, who admired Dash's competitiveness and athleticism, though still playfully bragging that she was the better pony, Fluttershy, who actually had to abandon her speech halfway through because she couldn't stop crying, and Rarity, who admittedly cared for Dash despite her 'lingo' and 'brashness'.

And then it was Twilight's turn. As she walked onto the stage, Rainbow Dash began to recall a small exchange she'd had with Gravehoof during their walk to Marebus...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"_So...you said you know how and when I died," Dash said._

"_Yes, I did," Gravehoof replied. "Why?"_

"_Well...before I died, I...swore I heard somepony saying my name...and it wasn't Pinkie. It was like...they were standing right beside me..."_

"_We did receive reports that there was another pony at the scene about 20 minutes after your recorded death," Gravehoof said. "A purple Unicorn...Twilight...Sparkle I believe her name was?"_

_Rainbow Dash suddenly grew silent. "T...Twilight...she was there..." Rainbow stuttered._

"_According to the reports. Did you...know her?"_

"_Yes...she was...a friend...a really good friend. She must've come looking for me after I disappeared. I..I hope she didn't meet the same fate I did..."_

"_We've received no reports on her," Gravehoof said. "For all I know, she's still alive."_

"_I just...hope nothing bad happens to her...if she saw what she did and is still alive, there's...a chance...Pinkie might try to..."_

"_Hunt her down and kill her," Gravehoof added. "I understand your concern for your friend. Let's hope Celestia keeps her safe..."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Twilight...oh thank Celestia, you're alive," Dash whispered softly as the Unicorn took to the standing in silence for several moments.

"I...I really don't know what to say right now," Twilight said. "But...I'll do what I can. I...it's been hard for me...for all of us over the last day. Rainbow's death...it was a shock to both me and her friends. Some of us were able to take it; others, not so much."

Fluttershy hung her head in the background as Twilight continued, pulling out what looked like a scroll. The crowd groaned slightly at this.

"Heh, typical Twilight," Rainbow whispered. As the unicorn droned on with her speech, crediting and 'constructively criticizing' various traits of the pegusus, Dash herself suddenly noticed a lone pony out of the corner of her eye, tucked inside an alleyway and out of sight from the rest. Raising an eyebrow, Dash watched as the pony, whose identity was concealed by the darkness of the alley, began stroking some sort of object in its hand.

Dash went to lower her cloud in for a closer look, but as she did, the pony suddenly poked out of the alley just enough to watch a...pink hoof...throw the object, which dash just now identified as a butcher's knife, directly up over the crowed and right towards Twilight. Dash was awestruck by how fast the knife got to it's destination, just to the left of Twilight's head, but that notion was washed out by the sudden gasps that followed. Twilight's eyes grew wide, Dash watching as several things happened at once: ponies started running around screaming, guards began scrambling and checking the perimeter, forming a barrier around the princesses and twilight, and the isolated pony suddenly branding another, now glowing, weapon and slamming the bottom end into the ground.

"Everypony remain calm," Princess Celestia shouted. "We will have the situation under control shortly and resume the..." The princess was cut off when the ground suddenly started to shake violently, Dash watching as several cracks and tremors appeared all around the stage, etheral green energy forming around them before giving way to a green-orange flame that encircled the stage and the outlying area, splitting through buildings and causing them to catch fire and even collapsing in some cases.

"What is Equestria is this," Luna asked Celestia, who was equally puzzled. Celestia was about to respond but was interrupted by something strange but so familiar.

It was a laugh.

But it wasn't just any laugh.

It was a bubbly laugh that only one pony in equestria was capable of making.

The entire crowd fell silent to the giggles as soon nothing could be heard except for the roaring fire, burning wood, and the giggling. The princesses, Rainbow, Twilight, and the rest of the main...4, along with a good majority of the crowd, suddenly felt a massive chill run straight down their backs, even swearing the bones of their spines themselves were being affected.

Rainbow's mind suddenly induced a flashback, the events of her 'party' appearing right before her eyes. Dash closed her eyes and fought back tears, also holding back her gag reflex at the brutal images. Rainbow reminded herself that Pinkie, despite how fucked up she was now, was still her friend in need of help, and knew had it been any other pony she'd personally hunt them down and exact her revenge on the sick pony.

Twilight, meanwhile, was having flashes of her own.

"Oh no..." Twilight muttered, her eyes darting around in fear, her own personal demons flashing before her eyes yet again. "No, no it...it can't be...she's not here, not now!"

"We must make a confession," Luna said silently. "This is the first time...I...have ever felt as scared as I am right now."

"...I as well," Celestia surprisingly admitted.

"This AIN'T happinin'," AJ said. "It...it just ain't!"

"Rarity...girls...I'm scared," Fluttershy said, curling into a ball timidly.

"It's...oh, forget it, this is the most terrified I've ever felt," Rarity said. "And I don't think it's going to get any better."

Suddenly, the giggling silenced, and for a moment, things seemed calm. However, when the sounds of hooves were heard, the fear resumed as the crowd looked over to see the one pony nopony wanted to see right now; Pinkie, hair just as poofy as ever, brandishing a strange-looking weapon that looked like a combination spear and warhammer.

"Isn't it neat," Pinkie said in her normal voice. "They say it's one of the strongest weapons in existence; granted it's only found in the underworld, and some...strings had to be plucked to get it...now that I think of it, who is 'they', anyway? Oh, oopsie, I'm going off topic! Anyway...oh, by the way, there's a reason this thing is only found in Marebus; it's illegal to own here in the mortal world! At least, that's what 'they' say. I still don't know who 'they' are supposed to be, I've never met these ponies they seem smart though always knowing things and freely telling ponies things, I wanna meet 'them' someday...oh, darn, I did it again, didn't I?"

The crowd, though scared out of their minds, had to applaud pinkie to sticking to what she was good at.

"OK...anyway, back to business," Pinkie said, her facial expression suddenly darkening with an evil grin. "Seems...SOMEPONY...in this audience wanted to be a party pooper yesterday. Well, you know I don't like party poopers; especially those that go and ruin surprises. And if I can't have my...surprises, then I'm not a happy little pony, now, am I?"

Pinkie's face suddenly turned into a sneer, which disappeared quickly. She started fiddling with her new weapon, Celestia and Luna, along with the guards, switching to a 'defense-ready' stance, Rainbow getting on the edge of her cloud should things get out of hand. Suddenly, though, Rainbow swore she heard something...odd.

"_Dashie...help me..."_

"What the hay," Dash whispered. As quickly as it went, though, it disappeared, Dash focusing back on the scene below.

"And when I'm not happy...well...THINGS...happen," she said, raising her weapon as it glowed with ethereal green energy.

"We won't allow it," Luna said, signaling her guards to stand ready. "We want the subject alive, so do not use lethal force unless absolutely necessary."

"Same for you all," Celestia said to her own guards who nodded confidently.

"Aw, how cute, the princesses think they stand a chance," Pinkie said with a giggle. "Let's see what you got."

"Easy, everyone, she's just using scare tactics," Celestia whispered. "Scare being the right word in this case."

Pinkie only smirked and, without a single warning, raised her weapon and shot a green bolt of electricity right at a guard, hitting him square in the head and launching him backwards, knocking him unconscious. Luna and Celestia both nodded to their guards, who immediately rushed to attack.

Celestia, meanwhile, after whispering something into her sister's ear, turned to Twilight and said: "We're going to create two passages behind us through the fire that you and the girls will split up and heard the citizens through. Then I want you to come back here and use as much of your element power as you can to help detain Pinkie. Understand?"

"Yes, princess! Come on girls, you heard her," Twilight replied as the girls scrambled around, herding the citizens away whilst the guards surrounded Pinkie with weapons and magic drawn.

Unfortunately, the guards stood absolutely no chance, as within the time it took Twilight, AJ, Rarity, and Fluttershy to get all the citizens over to the stage, Pinkie had slaughtered all of the guards with little effort. Celestia, Luna, the girls, Dash, and even the citizens, looked on, astonished, Pinkie simply shrugging with a smile.

"You really need to train your army better," she said. Celestia narrowed her eyes at this comment. "However, before you yourselves decide to attack me, I'd suggest following through with your evacuation plan."

Celestia raised an eyebrow at this.

"Hey, I may be a psychopath, but I don't like getting innocent bystanders involved in personal issues. Jeez, what do you guys take me for, anyway?"

The princesses said nothing more but nodded at the girls, and soon, all the citizens were let out and it was only Pinkie, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, AJ, Fluttershy, and Rarity.

"Now that that's settled, I believe we have some business to discuss," Celestia said.

"We do, don't we," Pinkie said. "Unfortunately for you, I don't negotiate with tattle tales. I KILL THEM."

Pinkie said the last few words with a strange, warbled voice that sounded nothing like her own, the weapon in her hands glowing brightly. Celestia nodded to the others, who nodded back, Luna readying her own power while Twilight and the others readied their elements. Pinkie grinned devilishly, signaling for them to attack. Twilight and the others got into formation while Celestia and Luna readied a spell which, as Twilight had explained to everypony previously during their brainstorming sessions, could end up helping Pinkie more than she'd think...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So, we're going with the possession route it seems," AJ said as she and Twilight hammered out their plan.

"Correct. It all lines up perfectly; a soul or demonic presence has possessed pinkie into murdering all those ponies; whether it was for revenge, entertainment, or something else entirely, I haven't figured out yet, but I'm doing as much research on the afterlife and such as possible. Also, I relayed this message to Celestia previously and she's working on a powerful exorcism spell should this end up being the correct theory; which I'm about 90% sure it is."

"How will this spell affect Pinkie, as in, the real Pinkie," AJ said.

"The spell could save her life, and her sanity; but it could also, well...kill her."

"W...what? How?"

"The spell works at the spiritual level, severing the connection the demonic or ghostly entity has on Pinkie's own soul. It also harnesses the power of her element of harmony to restore her natural self. It's a very delicate procedure, much like heart or brain surgery, and one wrong move could damage Pinkie's soul to the point of, well, death, if not damage her element. It's really complicated, but if it works, it could, like I said, save her life."

"What about the, well, other soul? Is it destroyed, or will it still...exist?"

"I don't know...but hopefully, we can contain it."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Get ready, everypony," Twilight said, the crown on her head along with the three other elements, beginning to glow. Celestia and Luna's horns were also glowing, and as the princesses let their magic flow from their horns into the crown, something unexpected happened; the element of laughter suddenly appeared around Pinkie's neck.

"Just what I thought," Twilight said. "Get ready...now!" Twilight let the energy from the crown flow through her body, expelling it in one gigantic rainbow right towards Pinkie Pie.

Meanwhile, as all this was unfolding, something strange also happened; the element of Loyalty had appeared around Dash's neck; something she did NOT want to have happen.

"Oh no...notgoodnotgoodnotgood," she said. "This could completely ruin my cover...I need to..."

"_Dashie...don't leave me...I know you're up there and can hear me...please, help them...I don't like what I've done...I want it to stop..."_

"_P...pinkie is...is that...you? I mean, the real you?"_

Nopony responded, as Dash looked down to see the rainbow collide with Pinkie's body, levitating her into the air. Dash swore she saw Pinkie's eyes and mouth start glowing white, as a strange white wisp started to float out from her.

"Hang on girls, we're not done yet," Twilight said, closing her eyes and, using the resonance of the elements, was able to visually detect Pinkie's soul. "Found ya," Twilight said. OK, Princesses, you're up."

The princesses nodded and began their work, Twilight suddenly getting an idea. Using the power of the elements, she was able to 'enter' pinkie's soul, and when she did, she saw something she thought she'd never see; pinkie literally rocking back and forth, tears flowing from her eyes. She was scared; really scared.

"_Pinkie...it's OK...I'm here to help...all of us are..."_

"_T...twilight..." _Pinkie said, looking up to see her. _"How are you..."_

"_That's not important. Right now, Celestia and Luna are working to get whatever's been possessing you out. I'm just projecting myself inside your soul to keep you company."_

"_Twilight...I...I don't know what to say..."_

"_I would suggest telling her to get out of MY domain," _Another voice said.

"_Who are you? If you're the evil thing that's been making Pinkie kill all those ponies, then forget it! We're getting you out of her and that's final!"_

The voice then started laughing maniacally, saying: "_I'm sorry, but the only one who's going anywhere is you. And I'll make damn sure of that. I DON'T give in so easily, miss Sparkle, and you and your princesses are about to find that out the hard way."_

"_What do you..." _Twilight began asking, but was cut off when she suddenly felt herself being pulled away. When she opened her eyes, she was back in reality, and saw Pinkie's arms raise the weapon up and hold it in front of the rainbow, blocking it successfully and causing her to drop to the ground, stunning both the mane 4 and the princesses.

"Nice trick," she said, her voice now a fusion of her normal voice and another, stallion-sounding voice Twilight recognized as the voice she was talking to earlier. "But I'm still superior!" Pinkie then used the weapon and forced ethereal energy through the rainbow, which traveled up the stream and into Twilight's crown, crackling before causing a massive energetic explosion that engulfed the elements and the princesses, causing them to scream in pain before being thrown backwards, ripping the curtains off before crashing into the back of the stage hard and falling to the ground, injured, unconscious (Save for Twilight, somehow) and drained of almost all their energy.

"I...I don't understand...how...that was planned perfectly..." Twilight said in between pants, trying to get on her feet but struggling to stand, her legs finally giving out as she collapsed on the stage floor.

Dash, meanwhile, had watched this all unfold and even, somehow, heard everything going on in Pinkie's soul. Unable to explain it all, other than it might have something to do with her powers, Dash simply watched on as Pinkie walked up to Twilight with her weapon glowing with energy.

"I told you I don't lose that easily," Pinkie said in her weird dual voice, the stallion-sounding part being strangely familiar to Dash. "Once you're out of the way, I'll kill your friends too, your princesses, and, even your beloved assistant."

Twilight gasped at this reveal, realizing that even Spike was in danger.

"It's a shame their deaths will be painless, while yours will be VERY painful. But, I guess that's how things work sometimes. And once your all out of the way NOTHING will stop me from killing again...oh, wait, did I just reveal myself as the killer to the entire town? Oh well. Guess I'll just have to kill them too. But, that can wait. I think starting with the one who decided to go spill the beans seems most appropriate."

Pinkie raised her weapon, execution-style, above Twilight's head, saying: "Rest in pieces, Twilight Sparkle."

**Cliffhanger! This scene played out longer than I thought so I cut it off here.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Will Twilight become another addition to Marebus? And what of the others? Will Rainbow just sit there and let Pinkie cut twilight's head off? I doubt it. But, you'll have to wait and see what happens; or, what doesn't happen. **


End file.
